NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will image Earth’s exosphere. The exosphere is the outermost layer of the atmosphere, and the geocorona is the light that emanates from sunlight scattered by the atomic hydrogen atoms of which it is primarily composed. The exosphere is one of our main defenses against the harmful effects of geomagnetic storms, which can damage satellites, disrupt electrical grids and interfere with telecommunications

Understanding the exosphere is critical to developing better risk models of geomagnetic storms. Not only is the exosphere the part of the atmosphere where satellites operate, but the neutral gas in the exosphere can de-energize charged plasmas that blast down from the magnetosphere. The specific density and variability of the exosphere may be the key to understanding which geomagnetic storms will cause damage to our infrastructure. 

SSL pilots and operates the spacecraft and built the instrumentation in partnership with the Space Dynamics Laboratory. BAE systems built the SmallSat spacecraft. The principal investigator is Lara Waldrop of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. The project scientist is Thomas Immel of SSL.